About Us

When the helicopter clears the last ridge and the ancient stone spire of Kedarnath appears through the mist — every pilgrim who has made this journey with us describes the same moment. Hands fold automatically. Eyes fill. Decades of faith arrive at their destination in a single breath.

That moment is the entire reason Udan Aviation exists.

Who We Are

Udan Aviation is an ISO-certified helicopter and aviation services company based in Dehradun, Uttarakhand — the gateway to India's most sacred pilgrimage circuit. We specialise in one thing above everything else: making the Chardham Yatra accessible to every devotee who has ever been told the journey is beyond them.

We are not a general aviation company that added pilgrimage tours to a menu. We were built specifically, deliberately, and entirely around the needs of the Chardham pilgrim — the elderly grandmother whose knees will not carry her up the mountain path, the NRI family coordinating a sacred journey for ageing parents from 8,100 miles away, the devotee whose health condition closes the road route but not the faith that demands this journey.

In every season we have operated, across every flight we have completed, that founding purpose has not changed by a single degree.

Our Credentials — Verified, Not Claimed

ISO Certified — Udan Aviation holds ISO quality management certification, a standard that very few private pilgrimage helicopter operators in India have pursued or achieved. It means every aspect of our operation — from booking to boarding to safe return — is held to an independently verified quality standard.

DGCA Compliant — All helicopter operations are conducted through DGCA-licensed aviation partners whose aircraft are maintained under approved maintenance schedules and flown by pilots holding valid Commercial Pilot Licences with high-altitude endorsements specific to the Himalayan circuit.

Uttarakhand Tourism Recognised — We operate as a recognised private helicopter Yatra operator within the regulatory framework established by Uttarakhand Tourism and the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority.

Zero Safety Incidents — Across every season of operations, across every flight we have completed, Udan Aviation has maintained a perfect safety record. This is not a marketing claim. It is an operational fact that we hold ourselves accountable to on every single departure.

The Person Behind the Company

Rashmi Negi — Founder

Rashmi Negi holds an MBA in Tourism Management and brings 16 years of experience in India's travel, tourism, and aviation industry to the leadership of Udan Aviation.

She did not build this company from a business plan. She built it from a problem she watched playing out in front of her — year after year, season after season — and could no longer accept it.

Elderly pilgrims arriving at Dehradun with a lifetime of faith and leaving with a lifetime of frustration. Operators treating the Chardham Yatra as a charter transaction rather than a sacred responsibility. NRI families sending their parents on one of the most important journeys of their lives with no reliable point of contact, no personalised support, and no guarantee that someone on the ground actually cared whether the darshan happened with dignity or not.

The demand for Chardham Yatra by helicopter was growing every year. But the experience being delivered — scattered operators, inconsistent service quality, unclear pricing, and a complete absence of genuine care for elderly and time-constrained pilgrims — was falling far short of what one of Hinduism's most sacred journeys deserved.

Her MBA in Tourism gave her the academic framework. Her 16 years of industry experience gave her operational knowledge. Her conviction that every devotee — regardless of age, physical ability, or distance from India — deserves to complete this pilgrimage gave her everything else.

"I had seen too many elderly pilgrims arrive with a lifetime of faith and leave with a lifetime of frustration. I knew the helicopter infrastructure existed. What was missing was an operator who treated this as a pilgrimage service, not just a charter business. That is what Udan Aviation was built to be." — Rashmi Negi, Founder & Managing Director

Drawing on her MBA in Tourism and 16 years of industry experience, and partnering with aviation professionals who bring hands-on Himalayan flying expertise to every operation, she built a Chardham helicopter service from the pilgrim's perspective first — not the operator's convenience.

Udan Aviation is the company Rashmi Negi built because it needed to exist.

Under her leadership, Udan Aviation has:

• Served 3,000+ pilgrims — senior citizens, NRI families, and mobility-challenged devotees — with an unblemished safety record
• Successfully completed every Chardham season of operations without a single safety incident
• Achieved ISO certification — a quality standard very few private pilgrimage helicopter operators in India hold
• Built a team combining MBA-level tourism expertise with hands-on Himalayan aviation experience — a combination that is genuinely rare in this space

📧 rashmi@udanaviation.in 💼 LinkedIn: View Profile 📞 +91 93104 19931

Meet Our Team

Behind every smooth pilgrimage is a team that has done this hundreds of times. Our pilots are mountain-flying specialists. Our ground staff at each dham are from the region. And our operations team in Dehradun is reachable around the clock during yatra season.

What We Offer

Complete Chardham Yatra by Helicopter — All four sacred Dhams in a single integrated journey: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. Every package includes helicopter transfers across the full circuit, VIP Darshan at each temple, hotel accommodation, all meals, and a dedicated Yatra coordinator assigned to your group from the moment your booking is confirmed.

Do Dham Yatra by Helicopter — For pilgrims who wish to visit two Dhams, we offer curated two-Dham combinations including the Kedarnath-Badrinath circuit — the most sought-after pairing on the Chardham route.

Kedarnath Yatra by Helicopter — A focused, deeply managed journey to the highest of the twelve Jyotirlingas, from our base at Sahastradhara Helipad, Dehradun.

Badrinath Yatra by Helicopter — A dedicated pilgrimage to the abode of Lord Vishnu, with VIP Darshan arrangements and full ground support.

Private Helicopter Charters — For corporate travel, medical evacuation support, leisure exploration of the Himalayas, or any charter requirement across India.

Private Jet Charters — For high-net-worth individuals, corporate groups, and time-critical travel across India and select international routes.

How We Operate — Full Operational Transparency

Rashmi Negi built Udan Aviation on a principle of transparency. Here is exactly how our Chardham Yatra helicopter service works, from the moment you book to the moment you return to Dehradun.

Our Departure Base

All Chardham helicopter tours depart from Sahastradhara Helipad, Dehradun — the designated government-authorised helicopter base for Chardham Yatra operations in Uttarakhand (Coordinates: 30°22.54'N, 78°05.89'E). Our team meets you here 60–90 minutes before departure (1 day before in the evening) for safety briefing, weight verification, and document check.

The Helicopter Fleet

Udan Aviation operates in partnership with DGCA-licensed aviation companies whose aircraft — including turbine helicopters certified for high-altitude Himalayan operations — seat a maximum of six passengers plus one pilot. Every aircraft we use is maintained under DGCA-approved schedules and subject to pre-flight safety checks.

The Sacred Route We Fly

Our standard 5-Night/6-Day Chardham Yatra follows the traditional sacred sequence: Dehradun → Yamunotri (Kharsali Helipad) → Gangotri (Harsil Helipad) → Kedarnath (Guptkashi Helipad) → Badrinath → Dehradun. We also offer Do Dham (2-Dham) and individual Dham options for pilgrims with different requirements.

Our Weather and Safety Protocol

No Udan Aviation flight departs in unsafe weather conditions — full stop. When weather causes delay, our ground team arranges alternative accommodation, communicates clearly with all passengers and their families, and reschedules flights at the earliest safe opportunity. We have never put commercial urgency ahead of passenger safety, and we never will.

Complimentary emergency oxygen is provided on all flights. Pre-journey altitude health guidance is given to every passenger with a declared health condition. Boarding assistance is available at every helipad for elderly and mobility-challenged pilgrims.

Your dedicated coordinator, Not a call centre. Not a chatbot.

Your dedicated coordinator is reachable by name, by phone, and by WhatsApp throughout the journey. Not a call centre. Not a chatbot. A specific human being who knows your group, your itinerary, and your requirements from the day you book to the day you return to Dehradun.

Who We Serve

Elderly Pilgrims — A significant proportion of everyone who has flown with Udan Aviation is a senior citizen who had been told — by geography, by health, by circumstance — that the Chardham Yatra was no longer within reach. We have made it reachable. We will continue to do so.

Mobility-Challenged Devotees — For pilgrims whose physical conditions prevent the traditional road journey and mountain paths, our helicopter service transforms an impossible pilgrimage into a completed one.

NRI Families — We have served families booking from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, UAE, Singapore, and beyond. We understand every dimension of planning a sacred journey for parents in India from across the world — time zones, international payments, digital documentation, Delhi airport coordination, and the particular need for constant, trustworthy communication throughout.

Domestic Pilgrims — From Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneshwar, Gurgaon, Vijayawada, Lucknow, Surat, Jaipur, and every city across India where the faith that drives the Chardham Yatra lives.

Corporate & Charter Clients — For organisations and individuals requiring private helicopter or jet charter services across India.

3,000+ Pilgrims. Every Season. One Standard.

The number that matters most to us is not the total of pilgrims we have served. It is the fact that every one of them completed their journey safely. Every family that trusted us with their most precious people received those people back — fulfilled, blessed, and unharmed.

That record is the foundation of everything Udan Aviation is built on. It is what we protect more carefully than any commercial interest. And it is what every pilgrim who books with us is entrusting to our care.

We do not take that trust lightly. We have never taken it lightly. We will not take it lightly on the next departure, or the one after that, or in any season that follows this one.

Book Your 2026 Chardham Yatra by Helicopter

The 2026 season opens in early May. Helicopter seats are allocated on a first-confirmed basis and fill weeks in advance — particularly for May and September departures.

If you are planning the Chardham Yatra for this season — for your parents, your family, or yourself — this is the moment to secure your dates.